Renault drop appeal in Racing Point brake duct saga

LONDON • Renault have withdrawn their appeal to the FIA, Formula One's governing body, against the punishment imposed on Racing Point for copying Mercedes' brake ducts, the French team said on Tuesday.

Stewards have docked Racing Point 15 points and imposed a €400,000 (S$646,000) fine for a breach of the sporting regulations at every race since the Austrian season-opener.

Renault had joined Ferrari in protesting the stewards' decision, seeking a stiffer penalty against the team owned by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll.

But they have decided against taking the matter to FIA's International Court of Appeal, leaving Ferrari the only team still chasing the matter.

"Beyond the decisions, the matters at issue were vital to the integrity of F1, both during the current season and in the future," Renault said in a statement.

"However, intensive and constructive work between the FIA, Renault... and all F1 stakeholders has led to concrete progress in safeguarding the originality in the sport by way of amendments to the Sporting and Technical Regulations planned for the 2021 racing season, confirming the requirements to qualify as a constructor.

"Reaching this strategic objective, in the context of the new Concorde Agreement, was our priority. The controversy of the start of this season should be put behind us, as we need to focus on the remainder of an intense and unique championship."

Racing Point, whose car this season is a close copy of last year's Mercedes, have been allowed to continue competing without having to redesign the offending parts.

Separately, former Renault team principal Flavio Briatore was hospitalised on Tuesday after testing positive for Covid-19. The flamboyant Italian businessman, 70, has been a fierce critic of restrictions aimed at curbing the pandemic.

He is warded at Milan's San Raffaele hospital, and his condition is said to be "good and stable".

Briatore, who mentored world champion drivers Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, also owns the Billionaire nightclub on the Italian resort island of Sardinia.

His club has since been identified as a Covid-19 hotspot with more than 60 staff members and guests testing positive in recent days.

REUTERS